The Kenya commercial bank has announced a Ksh 4 million sponsorship for the upcoming Naivasha Horticultural Fair (NHF) set to take place at the Naivasha sports club in September.

While announcing the sponsorship on Wednesday morning Mr. Wilfred Sang, the KCB’s Divisional Director Corporate Banking said the sponsorship will be a long term initiative aimed at improving the bank’s outreach to the sector.

The industry is the fastest growing agricultural sub-sector in the country and has been ranked second in terms of forex earnings after tourism. In 2008, Kenya earned a total of kshs73.7 billion and ksh 71.6 billion in 2009. “Agriculture contributes substantially to the country’s GDP in excess of 26%and substantial part of it comes from horticulture,” said Sang.

The horticulture industry is broadly classified as fruits, vegetables and cut flowers and currently provides direct employment to an estimated 100,000 Kenyans with a further 70,000 in related industries like packaging chemicals and freight.

While receiving the Ksh 4million cheque from KCB’s Wilfred Sang, Mr. Roddy Benjamin, NHF chairman said NHF is the second largest exhibitors’ event of its kind in Africa which brings together horticultural producers and farmers alongside key buyers and suppliers in the industry.

Roddy said “the fair started in 2003 as a charity initiative but has since transformed into an important industry barometer, managing to attract managers and directors of almost all the flower farms in Kenya.

Last year, the fair attracted over 140 exhibitors mostly from international firms. He added that this year they are expecting more than 150 exhibitors and the proceeds from the fair will go to local charities which includes the Rotary Safe House, Naivasha Children’s Shelter, and Mary’s Hospital Elementaita and IDP camps in Naivasha. 

KCB is one of the largest banks in the country with a balance sheet of about Ksh 220 billion and offering a number of financial sercices and products ranging from corporate business to retail and mortgages.

Fridah Chepchirchir and Enock Langat